NEEF Directors Tour DATA Magnet Program

The North East Educational Foundation (NEEF) Board of Directors were invited to the Design and Technology Academy (DATA) at Roosevelt High School for a one-of-a-kind behind the scenes tour of the world-class magnet program. On Nov. 7, Directors arrived to the Roosevelt campus and were greeted by DATA students who guided them to a room set with a delicious lunch. The food was prepared by students from Roosevelt’s Culinary Program and was the perfect balance of fresh Italian.

After lunch, the Directors made their way from classroom to classroom exploring such topics as 3-D animation, virtual reality, fashion design, film and photography—just to name a few. By the end of the tour, the Directors were better able to understand what makes the DATA program, students and staff such magnificent representatives of #theNEISDway.

As the tour progressed, Directors were able to witness students hard at work on projects that inspired and awed. They were able to go from a classroom of students producing a commercial to a student working on making a coffee maker from a 3-D printer. Teachers gushed over their students and projects while also telling of how they made the decision to leave higher paying jobs to be a part of this unique and dynamic program.

“I was completely blown away by the program, students and the teachers,” said NEEF Director Kimberly Prater. “Several of us on the tour had goosebumps numerous times after hearing from the teachers, who had so much passion when they spoke. How fortunate NEISD is to have such dedication from individuals helping mold the next generation of artist, scientist, engineers and architects.”

Before leaving, students were able to field questions from Directors and share a bit of their own DATA story. It truly was a special day.